Michelin stresses the importance of recent tests in preparation for the Catalunya GP

Michelin faces the Catalunya MotoGP GP several weeks after private testing of some teams on the catalan track in order to have a first contact with the new asphalt and the return to the old drawing in the final part of the lap. The tire manufacturer will provide the soft, medium and hard compounds for the front and rear wheels, in which case the rear tires will be asymmetrical with a harder right side. The same applies to rain tires, only supplied in soft and medium compounds.

Piero Taramasso, director of the Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel, explained in the preview that the recent tests were a major help for the Clermont-Ferrand home, having made it more obvious what options to take:

– Catalunya was another track that we had little knowledge of what to expect when we made the plan for tyre allocation before the season had started . The recent test we had there – which featured almost the whole MotoGP field – has changed that and given us a clear plan, this has allowed us to make the decision of what tyres we need to bring to cope with the new surface and layout. It was a very positive test and the riders gave some good feedback, which has enabled us to choose the specific compounds which are ideally matched to the new asphalt.

The official then, added: ‘The times were very fast, even though we were comparing them to the older layout, so we expect some very quick laps this weekend’.